SAN DIEGO -- Jatavis Brown endured the pain of losing a loved one on Sunday while still focusing on doing his job in the San Diego Chargers’ victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Two days before he took the field at the Georgia Dome, Brown was notified just before getting on the plane to Atlanta on Friday that his father, Alfred Brown, had died at home in his native Florida. He was 83 years old.

A retired chef, Brown said his father showed him the ways of the world, including how to cook his favorite meal, Jamaican curry chicken and rice.

A memorial service for his father is next week, and Brown plans to attend.

“He was amazing,” Brown said. “My father and I were very close. I learned everything from him. He taught me everything I know.”

Brown said he told only a few members of San Diego’s coaching staff. Brown’s position coach Bob Babich, defensive coordinator John Pagano and coach Mike McCoy, along with a close friend on the team, Adrian Phillips, were among the handful of people that knew about his father’s passing before Sunday’s game.

Brown played every defensive snap, finishing with two tackles. For the season, the rookie fifth-round draft pick out of Akron leads the Chargers in tackles with 44 -- including five tackles for loss. Brown also has totaled three sacks and two forced fumbles.

McCoy told the Chargers about Brown’s situation in a speech after San Diego’s victory over the Falcons, handing Brown a game ball.

“It just says so much about the type of person he is, with what it meant for him to help the team in a very difficult situation,” McCoy said. “But there was no hesitation at all that that’s what he thought was the best thing for him to do, and to honor his father.

“Jatavis is a special human being, with what he’s done and how he’s impacted our team in a short amount of time, not only on the field, but off the field.”

Brown has had to deal with his share of adversity in his life. At age 9, Brown lost his 12-year-old brother Dimarques in a drowning accident. Brown says he doesn’t plan on doing anything special to honor his father against the Denver Broncos on Sunday other than just going out and playing.

“Everything God’s put me through is for a reason,” Brown said. “I’m just going to go out and play. I know he’s out there watching me. It was hard, but at the end of the day he knows I love football, and football is just my way to express myself and forget about most things that are going on for me.”